Using Eggs to Make Electricity
Where's the refrigerator?
Not necessary.
Yes, yes, those ARE eggs.
But apparently eggs DO NOT NEED refrigeration!
Why don´t we eggstrapolate for a minute... Heh Heh Heh
In Canada and other eggstremely germ-o-phobic countries, we could save tens of thousands of of kilowatt-hours of energy if we didn´t store eggs in refrigerators. Imagine that! Talk to your grocery store!
-----
P.S. Wal-Mart... oh Waaal-Mart... This is a subsidiary of yours in Coban, Guatemala called Pais. Since you´re being all nice and green these days, why don´t you do this in Canada and the USA too?
posted by Lara Arnott @ 10:58 a.m.
3 Comments
3 Comments:
How long will the eggs keep if you don't refrigerate them?
I´m still in Guatemala... my internet access isn´t regular - I had to do a bit of research to answer you.
A darn good effort to provide all you need to know about storing eggs without a fridge:
1. Eggs aren´t refrigerated in many parts of Europe and Africa as well.
2. Throw out any cracked eggs - they will spoil in or out of a refrigerator.
3. When a hen lays an egg, she deposits a protective barrier on the egg that prevents bacteria from entering the egg. When eggs are processed, they are washed and a new protective barrier is applied. When eggs are boiled, they coating washes off - that´s why hard-boiled eggs spoil faster than raw eggs. So... don´t wash your eggs unless you will use them right away.
4. One reason why egg handling standards may specify refrigeration is because Salmonella enteritidis (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/salment_g.htm) has been a big problem in the US for the last 25 years. Refrigerating eggs doesn´t prevent you getting the disease. Refrigeration reduces the rate at which the Salmonella bacteria can multiply. So if you refrigerate a Salmonella-infected egg, you´ll still get sick, only not as much. This is why we´re told not to eat raw cookie dough (which is more dangerous than not refrigerating your eggs). If a non-refrigerated egg is infected with Salmonella, cooking it thoroughly will still kill the salmonella. The raw-ness is the problem, not refrigeration - food risks include anything made with raw eggs such as Ceasar dressing, mayonaise, etc. Apparently, the US is putting measures in place to reduce Salmonella enteritidis in the poultry population.
5. The rate at which eggs will go bad varies according to storage temperature and how old the egg is. Once refrigerated, it is best to keep an egg refrigerated. If eggs are never refrigereated, they can be stored at 70F from 2 weeks to 6 weeks according to various sources on the web. I´ve also heard that if you are storing eggs for many weeks, you should turn them over once in a while. Here´s one source along with a handy test if you´re in doubt as to the eat-ability of your egg...
http://www.warmwisdompress.com/waves/chap14.asp:
"Never put eggs in the refrigerator, even on land. It destroys their texture and flavor. So long as an egg has no cracks it will last for many weeks out of the refrigerator. If you coat the egg with Vaseline it will last five or six weeks unrefrigerated. This is surprising to most people, but that is how most of the world deals with eggs. A French chef would never use an egg from a refrigerator; the French are horrified that Americans treat eggs this way. An omelet has a totally different and wonderful flavor and feel when made with eggs that have never been cold. The cold damages the egg and changes its flavor.
Using five- or six-week old eggs scares many people, rightfully so as you can get quite ill from eating a bad egg. There is a simple test to use. You put the egg into water, neither hot nor cold, room temperature. If the egg stays at the bottom of the bowl it is fine and you can eat it. If it floats to the top you throw it away. If it comes off the bottom, but does not come to the top and sort of hangs in the middle, you can eat it if you want it badly enough, but it is best to get rid of it. It depends on your level of desperation."
Thanks for the research. I probably won't leave my eggs out; I am too ingrained to have them in the refrigerator. :)
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home